If you are reading this, you are most likely a web designer, web developer, or someone who recently created a website for themselves or their business. Creating and optimizing a website can be a complicated process that takes time, energy, and expertise to do effectively.
If you are here to learn and get some ideas about how to improve your website, keep reading!
Categories of Improvement
This article is broken up into categorical improvements for your website based on their level of importance. This is because some aspects of a website are more important than others. Those listed in the ‘Critical Improvements’ category are fundamental and will heavily impact the success of your website. Those listed in the ‘Important Improvements’ category will moderately impact the success of your website. Finally, those listed in ‘Optional Improvements’ will also moderately impact the success of your website but are not as crucial as those in the previous two categories.
Critical Improvements
The following are deemed to be critical improvements to any website and should be changed as soon as possible if your website doesn’t currently possess them.
1. Become SSL Certified
SSL stands for secure sockets layer. An SSL certificate is a type of online certification that provides a level of security to the website through authentication and allows clients to have an encrypted connection to your website. It demonstrates that you own the domain that your website is operating under. SSL certificates protect sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and payment information. As a user, you can tell if a website is SSL certified by searching its URL. When you click on the padlock icon near the URL, you will be given information about the connection and whether or not it is secure.
Aside from wanting your customers to have a secure connection, having an SSL certificate will help optimize your website’s search engine results. SEO or search engine optimization is one of the fastest-growing digital organic advertising strategies. Search engines favor websites with SSL certificates over those that are not SSL certified.
2. Install Website Visitor Analytics
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is not collecting data from their website traffic. Website Visitor Analytics provides valuable insights on your consumers including demographics, psychographics, and how they behave while interacting with your website. If you don’t already need this data, someday you will. For example, in a couple of years, you may want to create a paid advertising campaign on Facebook. To get your campaign to the highest amount of potential customers, you will need to have specific information about your target market that website visitor analytics can provide. 
Important Improvements
The following are improvements that are deemed to be important, but can be done in a less urgent timeframe or can be built on over a period of time.
1. Remove Default Footers
A simple way to automatically improve the look and level of professionalism of your website is to remove the default information located in the footer of the webpage. This information will likely include the name of the Content Management System (CMS) used to create the website as well as the name of the template used for your particular website. Common CMS systems include WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and more. There are a few reasons to remove this default information. One, it looks unfinished and unprofessional to have in the footer of your website. Two, it gives information on how your website was created, which a hacker could use to access sensitive information about your clients and your business.
2. Utilize Dynamic Content
Utilizing dynamic content is one of the fastest ways to increase website traffic. You can easily do this by linking your various social media accounts to your website. In terms of SEO, the more valid links connecting your website to information, the better. This can also be accomplished by creating high-quality, SEO-optimized informative content like blogs, guides, or tutorials. Not only will the content be a source of information for your customers, but it will also establish your business as an authority of knowledge in your field.
You should also work to establish and maintain relationships with other companies that are not direct competitors with your business in order to build your backlink profile. Again, the more links out validating that your website is relevant, the more optimized your website will be.
Optional Improvements
The following are improvements that are optional or less urgent than the previous two categories.
1. Add Alt Text & Titles to Images
An easy way to add ‘optimization points’ to your website score in the eyes of search engine algorithms is simply by adding alternative text and titles to the images utilized in your website. The primary purpose of alt text and titles is to describe the image to those who can not see them. This may include users on a browser that blocks certain images or someone that is physically, visually impaired. These titles and descriptions make your website more accessible which tells search engines that your website is more optimized. It also in general leads to a more user-friendly website experience for your customers.
2. Provide a Contact Form on Each Page
Another great way to create a more user-friendly website experience is to provide a contact form on every page of your website. To some, this may seem excessive. However, if your potential customer has a question or concern at any time while reading your website copy, they just might reach out to you if the form is readily available to them. One of the main objectives of an effective website is to generate leads and collect information from potential clients. An easy way to implement this is by adding your digital contact form to the bottom of all of your web pages. Another option is to consistently keep the form within your toolbar or main menu.
What Do You Think?
Need some help implementing these changes? Give us a call at Blue Ridge Media Company at (216) 233-3009 to discuss your marketing goals. Also, visit our website to check out the other digital marketing services we offer.
